


Thumbelina

by rawkfemme



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, tiny janeway is tiny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 06:07:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10758273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rawkfemme/pseuds/rawkfemme
Summary: A starship is awfully big when you're only four inches tall.





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the brain-child of a random tumblr post about a tiny cup of coffee and crazy, dedicated fandom who will take a tangent and run with it. 
> 
> I don't know everyone's AO3 handles, but tumblr credits include:  
> emmikamikatze  
> cheile  
> warp6  
> jhelenoftrek  
> supernovacoffee  
> sjwashere  
> getoutofmyjaneway  
> carlynroth  
> foreverglfan  
> fbismostunwanted1158  
> joyful-voyager
> 
> I'm eternally sorry if I missed anyone. Please let me know and I'll add you.

Day One had been a period of adjustment, that much was certain. She had always been petite. Hers was a lifetime spent climbing on chairs to reach things off of high shelves, and making her way to the front of audiences so she didn't have to strain to see over heads.

This however, was ridiculous.

After the initial shock of the transporter malfunction...

_“Increase the pattern buffer field matrix.”_

_“I’ve got her.”_

_“Is that all of her?”_

...to Chakotay’s awkward announcement to their senior staff...  
  
_"She's fine, more or less." As the words left his mouth, Chakotay grimaced. B’Elanna groaned and dropped her head into her hands._

...and the fine tuning of the universal translator to compensate for miniature vocal chords...

_“Tom said she sounded like a ‘Minnie Mouse’.” Whispered Harry to the Delaney twins over Neelix’s lunch special._ __  
  


...to their trying to figure out how she was going to travel from place to place without Chakotay crushing her in his grip, life was becoming more interesting that it need to be, now that Captain Kathryn Janeway was four inches tall.

Stepping on to the conference room table and surveying her staff was an exercise in restraint, Kathryn’s and the staff’s.  She tried with all her might to summon every ounce of the commanding authority that she usually carried, and her crew was clearly taken aback.

Tuvok’s eyebrow was sky high, Harry was trying in vain to hide his nervous giggles, and the sound that emanated from Tom could only be described as a ‘Squee’.  B’Elanna was the only member of the senior staff whose expression was unchanged, as it was her the ensign on duty in the transporter room had called.

She looked like Janeway, she walked like Janeway, and she was Janeway.  Just at 1/16th the size.

After the meeting, Chakotay had tried to carry her out to the bridge in the palm of his hand. She almost fell off. Twice.

She then tried to get around under her own power. But being Lilliputian in the land of giants proved to be not only terrifying and dangerous, but terribly slow.

In the end was Ensign Samantha Wildman who had the locomotion solution. Inspired by her baby-wearing experience with Naomi as an infant, she modified a small pocket onto the front of Chakotay’s regulation jacket.  It’s tall enough that the captain will be secure, but short enough that she can see out. It’s also just wide enough that she can snug down into it comfortably if she needs to be hidden from sight.

Janeway, of course, has reservations.

_I’m a captain, not a Kangaroo._

_“Well, actually in the mid 20 th century...” Tom tries to interject._

_“One more word and you’re scrubbing the plasma manifolds.”_

They day had been long and trying, and despite the technical acumen of the _Voyager_ crew, no immediate solution was at hand. There was no way that she’d be able to manage in her quarters overnight, so Chakotay volunteered as her friend and first officer, to provide her with not only a place to sleep, but his protection for the night.

As they finished dinner, a full bowl of mushroom risotto for him, and a few grains of rice for her, there was a chime at Chakotay’s door and upon Chakotay’s request, Naomi Wildman was ushered in by her mother.

“ _Naomi heard about your situation, Captain, and she wanted to help.”_

_“How kind. What is it you have behind your back my dear? Don’t be shy.”_

Casting a nervous smile at the tiny captain, Naomi crossed to the table where Janeway on which was seated. She pulled from behind her back, and gently set on the table, an adorably quaint wooden doll bed.

“ _Janie, my doll Janie, can sleep on the floor until you’re done with it. She won’t mind.”_

Janeway stood and crossed to the bed. It was just the right size, and lovingly made up with a lace lined comforter and plush pillows. Her hand traced over the headboard and she had to fight a tear of gratitude from forming before turning around to address the little girl.

" _Naomi, this is about the nicest thing that anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you. It reminds me of my bed at home. In Indiana.”_

With that, Samantha turns her daughter towards the door and they move back into the hall, but not before Naomi shoots Janeway a proud and beaming smile.

As their meal is complete, and their energy has faded, Chakotay takes his captain and her bed into his room, setting them on his nightstand.

_"I figured it would be safest if you slept in here. The other room would be more private though, if you’d prefer.  But here you’ll be able to get my attention faster if you need me.”_

Kathryn shyly nodded her consent. It had been quite a while since she’d shared a room with another person. She wasn’t sure if she’d remember how to act. But Chakotay was ever the gentleman and left her alone to strip off the only uniform she had that fit, down to her undershirt and panties, and slip into the miniature bed with a modicum of dignity. He returned only after he asked to make sure she was decent, climbed into his bed, and called for the lights to fall to sleeping levels. 

Lying in a strange bed, in a strange room, herself a strange size, with no solution in sight began to feel overwhelming. As she felt a tear roll down her cheek, she heard a sound that she hadn’t hear in many years, that of another’s sleepy snore. The gentle rhythm comforted her and reminded her that she was surrounded by those who would loyally fight for an answer and search for a remedy. As he’d told her before; she was not alone.


	2. Day Two

Day two of Kathryn Janeway’s predicament started with both a bang and a whimper.  The early morning status update that Chakotay had requested found him still asleep after night of tossing and turning. He had awoken several times in the night to check on the tiny Janeway, asleep in her tiny bed.  When his combadge chirped, Chakotay was deep in a much needed REM cycle. The jarring and unwelcome sound caused him to reflexively throw his hand across to the badge sitting on his nightstand. Sitting inches away from his diminutive commanding officer.

_“Torres to Chakotay.  Torres to Commander Chakotay.”  The only immediate response B’Elanna received was the sound of muffled swearing._

_“Chakotay here.  B’Elanna, come quick. And bring tricorders. I think I’ve lost her.”_

_“Lost her, sir?”_

When B’Elanna enters the room with the security team moments later, she sees a very shaken Chakotay seated on the floor of his bedroom, in deep remorse, being dressed down.

_“If it hadn’t been for that damn lucky pile of laundry on the floor. And then that failing around trying to find me.”_

_“I’m so sorry. I truly didn’t mean to sweep you away like that.  I mean, off, sweep you off.”_

B’Elanna knew she had to get everyone out of the room, as the situation was clearly under control. But as she turned to go, she couldn’t help but blush as she caught a glimpse of the smallest captain in all of Starfleet stomping around, wearing only panties and an undershirt.

_“You could have squashed me!”_

Later that morning, the command team arrives on the bridge, with the captain riding in Chakotay’s custom pocket. The day proceeds quietly, with Janeway reading padds as Chakotay holds them up for her. Luckily, the computer is able to recognize her miniature thumb print as authorization.

Shortly, the need to feed a certain caffeine habit makes itself known, in the form of one heck of a headache.  Drinking water from a full-to-the brim demi-tasse hadn’t been a problem, but that technique wouldn’t work so well for coffee.

_“I’ll scald my face off!”_

Soon the entire crew was trying to fashion the world’s smallest coffee cup.  Vorik was able to triumph with the end cap of a tritanium alloy siphon rod, soldered to a small bit of black wire for a handle. It looked exactly like a mess hall mug. Janeway placed a commendation in his file for creativity and ingenuity under pressure.  A clean medicine dropper was secured from sick bay...

_“I’m not sure she should be drinking coffee until I can run more tests. She shrank. The caffeine molecules didn’t.”_

...and Chakotay was able to keep her tiny cup full all day.

When lunch time rolled around, Janeway dismissed Chakotay to the mess hall.

_“I’m just going to sit in my chair on the bridge. I’ll be fine.”_

_“Sure, until Tom decides to take a hard turn.”_

_“Worry wart.  Go eat. Spend an hour not thinking about me. Tuvok is at his station to keep watch. I’ll be fine.”_

The mid-day reports start to drift in.  As the ensigns tasked with bringing the padds to the bridge exit the turbolift, they turn to present the reports to Tuvok. His quirked eyebrow and subtle nod inform them of what they missed, that the captain is indeed on the bridge. They cross to her chair and kneel down in front of her, like serfs paying homage to their ruler. All except Chell.  The large Bolian loses his balance at the awkward position and surprise of seeing his larger-than-life leader’s current form.  He delivers his report seated on the floor. While summarizing the morning activities, more than one ensign has to struggle to keep eye contact, and not stare at the tiny boots dangling an absurd distance from the floor, or the miniscule fingers, tapping out a rhythm of annoyance and impatience.

When Chakotay has returned from lunch, he reveals that he disobeyed a direct order. Instead of sitting in the mess hall thinking of anything except Janeway, he spent it in the hydroponics bay, crafting woody clippings into a ladder. One just the right height to help his captain descend from her command chair.

_“I really didn’t care for the idea of you trying to hop down. And I know how you feel about asking for help.”_

Regaining even this tiny, purely symbolic amount of independence warms Kathryn’s heart.  She’s been asking for regular updates from engineering and sciences on how this happened and how they can fix it, fix her, but progress is slow and frustrating.  The interference that they passed through at the time of the transport was unknown to the sensors, and the team hasn’t been able to replicate it. Kathryn and Chakotay finish the shift in the ready room; him reading reports on the couch and her jumping from key to key on her desktop station, trying to assist in cracking open the secrets of the interference in any way she can.

On the walk back to Chakotay’s quarters, Janeway snugs down in the pocket. Today’s adventure in typing while tiny was surprisingly physical, and the pocket is warm and cozy.  The sway of his step, the darkness of the fabric, and the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat soon lull Janeway into an easy sleep. Noticing this, Chakotay slips his hand inside the pocket, and leans to the side, so that she rolls naturally onto his fingers. After carefully extracting her, still sound asleep, he places her on the doll bed and lightly draws the comforter up to her chin.  Then carefully, very carefully, he moves her and the bed to the ledge of his view port, a safe distance away from his reach. As he calls for the lights to be lowered and leaves the room, Janeway creeps one eye open and rolls over. She sees the vista of stars above and all around her. They look the same as they always have. They are the one thing that hasn’t changed, that isn’t an obstacle sixteen times larger than it was a few days ago.  Looking at the stars, at her stars, Kathryn Janeway feels something resembling normalcy for the first time in too long a time.


	3. Day Three

By the third day of being four inches tall, Kathryn Janeway was beginning to feel more comfortable in her tiny body. Almost all of the logistics were worked out; her food (tiny crumbs of whatever Chakotay was eating), her coffee (drop by drop from her custom mini-mug), how she’d get her work done (those dance lessons years ago came in handy for typing now), and how she’d get around the ship (nestled securely in a pocket on her XO’s chest). 

Yes, everything was sorted. Until the inevitable happened. 

It wasn’t really Neelix’s fault. Or Chakotay’s.  It was just a sequence of events that left the Lilliputian captain in a very “uncaptainlike” state.  

_“Chakotay if you bend over, I’ll fall right out!”_

_“You’re right. Here, stand on the counter while I inspect the produce.”_

_“Oh dear. Cap...Captain?”_

_“Yes, what is it Neelix?”_

_“That thermal inductor relay...”_

_“What about it?”_

_“It’s...it’s on.”_

And just like that, the piece of tech that cooked their food without burning their chef, had charred a neat split up the back of Janeway’s trouser leg and over the curve of her backside, exposing her pale skin and blush pink non-regulation panties. Her face quickly matched the shade of her undergarments. Luckily, Starfleet uniforms where designed with combat in mind, so the scorched fabric didn’t have the opportunity to burn Janeway’s delicate skin.

Chakotay of course insisted that he rush his captain to sick bay for a once-over, just to be sure.

_“Besides the obvious, the captain is perfectly fine.  Her uniform, however, is not.  Luckily, one of my sub-routines is micro-surgery.  Though it’ll be a bit tedious to have to work on such a friable non-organic medium.”_

_“Oh cheer up Doc. Once you fix my uniform you can get started on what I’m sure will be a much lauded paper.  What was that movie Tom referenced?  ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids?’ Call it, ‘Doctor, I Shrunk the Captain.’”_

Janeway would need something else to wear, pronto. She couldn’t wait the several hours it would take the doctor to mend her uniform with just surgical bandages wrapped around her. Only one person on board would be able to help.

_“Do you have anything with more flowers, Naomi?  You know how much the captain likes flowers.”_

The tiny pocket passenger delivered a swift tweak to the area of her first officer that was at her closest disposal. The sharp yelp he elicited indicated that she had found an area that, even for a man, was of particular sensitivity. They needed to get a doll dress quickly and get out. Janeway was hiding in the pocket, and if Naomi or Samantha saw her in the state she was in currently, she’d die of embarrassment.

_“You know, it took every ounce of strength I had not to poke at whatever had pinched my...and then I remembered it was you. I was afraid I’d poke your...never mind.”_

Once they had exited the Wildman’s quarters and were safely in the privacy of the turbolift, Janeway peeked her head out to see what Chakotay had procured for her. One was clearly modeled on the dancing costume of the Xarat species and was in no way appropriate of her to be wearing. Too many straps and far too much glitter. What was he thinking borrowing that one? The second was apparently intended to be an early American prairie dress. It reminded her of museum exhibits her parents had dragged her to as a child. Floor length, with a tiny plaid print, a huge lace collar, and ruffles and the hem and sleeve. The third dress reminded her of something she’d worn not all that long ago, but on Chakotay’s arm, not on his pocket. This version was pale lilac, knee-length, with a halter neckline, and plum colored sash at the waist. The floral fabric was tasteful and soft. It would look interesting with her standard issue boots, but it would have to do. She slipped it over her head and tied the sash behind her as the turbolift doors opened on the bridge.

Much of the day was uneventful and spent with Chakotay in the ready room, until B’Elanna arrived from engineering.  Her update continued to be that there were no updates, but they felt a breakthrough was imminent. She did, however, come bearing a gift.

_“I call it the Mini-Yacht. But feel free to christen it whatever you like.”_

The miniature version of Captain’s Yacht had seating for one, and only if that one was under five inches tall. The mechanics were that of what amounted to a child’s remote control plane, but with the controls re-wired onto a small panel inside the craft.

_“She’s not exactly space-worthy, but maybe you’d like to take her for a spin inside?”_

It was all she needed to hear, and Janeway was throwing open the hatch and getting a feel for the controls. B’Elanna had encoded the little ship with the captain’s access. She’d be able to be off the ground on her own, for the first time in days. Doors opened at her request. She zoomed out of the ready room and across the bridge, buzzing Harry at the Op’s station, then hanging a wide right down to Tom at the helm.  Giving him a happy salute and a cheeky wink, she darted back up to the rear of the bridge and into the waiting turbolift, where she activated the craft’s hover matrix while moving between floors.

She exited the turbolift and zipped her way down the halls, dodging and diving out of the way of passing crewmates, on their way to the mess hall or their quarters as the shifts were changing. To be speeding along at whatever pace she chose, to whatever destination she chose, was a freedom that she hadn’t known since this all began. After a while though, she began to miss him. He, who had been her constant companion and champion. Not just for the past three days, but for the past three years.

She found her way back to his quarters, and was pleasantly surprised to see that he’d adjusted his door settings to open automatically at her arrival. Kind man that he was, Chakotay had both of their dinners ready, and soft music played over the speakers.  Janeway landed her craft on the coffee table and disembarked.  As he kneeled to greet her, she couldn’t help but give the full skirt of the dress an un-self-conscious twirl. The music was joyful and her companion seemed truly happy to see her. In a moment of impulsiveness, Chakotay placed the tips his pointer and middle finger on the surface of the table and “walked” them over to his captain. Gazing up at him, she placed her hands on his knuckles and they slowly swayed together to the rhythm of the lilting music.

_“I believe that may have been our first dance.”_

_“I hope it’s not our last.”_

They ate their dinner in a comfortable silence.  After the meal, Chakotay carried Janeway across his quarters and revealed one last surprise from the engineering department.

_“B’Elanna built this too, but it was my design. The temp core of the handle should be pretty conducive to retaining heat, and the slope of the grip should match that of your back perfectly.”_

_“Oh, I trust you that it’s perfect. You’re the only man to have ever built the same woman two bathtubs.”_

With a dimpled grin, Chakotay left Janeway alone in the bathroom, standing next to what used to be the handle of a type two hand phaser, modified, hollowed out, and filled with warm water and a foam of sweetly scented bubbles.

Pulling the dress of and slipping into the water, her thoughts returned to the man who had done so much for her. It had to be more than just his sense of duty. He’d all but opened his heart to her in the past, and she’d shut him out like so many times before and since. But being here with him, back in this domestic setting, felt so natural.

She luxuriated in the warm water for a while, feeling the heat ease her tiny, aching muscles.  But after a while she knew she’d have to get out, or she’d risk falling asleep right there. Climbing out of the tub, she dried off with the miniature towel Chakotay had left for her, and pulled one of the petticoats of the prairie dress on as a nightgown. She called for Chakotay and was happy to climb into his protective hand after he knelt to escort her. As they climbed in to their respective beds, under the canopy of passing stars, Janeway found comfort in thoughts of Chakotay’s tender care, his concern, and perhaps even still, his love.


	4. Day Four

She’s not exactly sure what possessed her to do it.  He’d been nothing but kind. Maybe she was trying to reconstruct the wall of their typical friendly and playful banter that had started to come down with their impromptu dance last night. Maybe she was sub-consciously trying to flirt.  All she knew was that she was in for a show when Chakotay saw the message on his command console. 

_“Paris, just what the devil do you mean by this?”_

_“By what exactly, Commander?”_

_“That I ‘can’t fool you with the aloof act’ and that I ‘have a smoldering fire of passion behind my eyes.’?”_

Oh yes, it had been very worth if for the four inch tall Kathryn Janeway to steal inside of Paris’s station and reprogram it to direct any message intended for Lieutenant Torres to Chakotay instead. The look of embarrassed confusion on her pilot’s face, and the forehead of the man sitting to her left, wrinkled with perplexity, caused Jane way to erupt into a fit of giggles. It served Tom right for having a betting pool about the color of her underwear. She hadn’t known about it until Harry Kim mistakenly admitted that he had won. Rising to stand on the seat of her command chair, she theorized that perhaps there were fairies aboard who took delight in tricks and confusion and maybe Harry should run some scans.

_“The only fairy on board is you, Captain, and if you keep it up, I’ll have to spank all the pixie dust right out of you.”_

_“Commander!”_

_“I’m...I’m sorry Captain. I’m not sure what came over me.  If you don’t mind, I’ll head to my office for the remainder of my shift.”_

She dismissed him, knowing that to do otherwise would undermine both of their authorities. His comment, as off the cuff and inappropriate as it had been, pulled her lips into a shy smile and made her blush. Looking around the room, she was sure no one could make out the embarrassed look on her tiny face.   It was one thing to take delight from a slightly ‘blue’ comment, but another thing all together to have anyone notice you do so.

As the shift drew to a close, Janeway descended from her command chair via her lovingly crafted ladder, and boarded her custom tiny aircraft, which she had dubbed _The_ _Beatrice_. It was a short trip to their temporarily shared quarters, but when she arrived, Chakotay was already inside. From the sound and humidity in the rooms he was enjoying a very warm shower.

Pulling her hair out of its clip, Janeway ran her fingertips over her scalp.  Hair could get heavy by the end of the day, no matter how small the owner’s head.  Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shed her uniform, which the EMH had thankfully been able to repair, and slip into the more comfortable flowered dress. The dress, however, was still in the bathroom where she’d left it last night. She could wait for Chakotay to finish.  But, damn, it was on the floor which would be a sea of puddles by then.  Best to rescue the dress now.

Being so small, she didn’t really need to tiptoe, but still found herself sneaking her way around the corner and into the haze filled bathroom. The steam felt good on her skin, and it warmed her to her core. She closed her eyes and paused to breathe it deeply, and enjoy the sultry environment. As her eyes rolled open, she noticed the large tanned ankle just feet from where she stood, and was reminded exactly where she was, and how easy it could be to be accidently stomped on.  As the foot moved, her eyes instinctively scanned defensively upwards. He was turning away to face the wall and hadn’t spotted her invading his private time.  As her pulse normalized and she was able to assure herself that she wasn’t about to be trampled, her gaze drifted back down.  If the return trip took a bit longer than strictly necessary, and lingered for a moment around the half-way mark, she could hardly be blamed for that, given the scare that she’d just had.

Spotting the dress a few feet away, Janeway broke into a jog to retrieve it. Just as she grabbed it, the shower door opened, and Chakotay stepped onto the bathmat.  The water dripping off of his body caused a deluge to fall to the floor and one large drop landed square on Janeway’s auburn hair.  Luckily, Chakotay was drying his head and missed the sight of a soggy Janeway diving under a nearby towel which had fallen off the rack.  Finally Janeway was hidden from sight. It would be beyond embarrassing if he’d known that she’d been in the room while he was...less than clothed. Safe in her hiding place she stripped off the sopping wet uniform, donned the drier dress, and hightailed it to the door while Chakotay’s back was turned securing his towel at his waist.  As she entered the living room, she heard Chakotay call for the humidity elimination system to activate. The cadence of the ultrasonic fans pulling the water on the floor into the wall for recycling soon gave way to a more horrified sound.

_“Kathryn, what are you doing?  Stop! It’ll suck you right in!  No, Kathryn, NO!”_

Her uniform. Its miniature size didn’t afford it the heft to resist the pull of the fans. Chakotay had thought that she’d been in it when it had been drawn into the reclamation system, which would spell certain doom.

The sound of Chakotay falling to his knees, wracked with sobs triggered a stunned Janeway to return to the bathroom. Crossing the still damp room, she crept up to his side. His head was in his hands and his back shook. She placed her hand on his thigh, but it was too small for him to feel. Crossing in front of him, she pressed a kiss to his knee and leaned her tiny frame against him. 

_“I’m here. It’s OK. I’m still here.”_

At the realization that she was there, next to him, he opened his eyes to look down at her.  Tears continued to gather at the corners of his eyes, and one by one they fell in a torrent around her.  Gently, relieved, he scooped her up and brought her to his face. Clearly his instinct was to cover her in joyful kisses, but since her whole head would have fit in his mouth, he resisted.

_“I thought...I saw red and black get sucked down...and you were gone. I can’t lose you anymore. Never again.”_

His confession was broaching close to territory that she wasn’t sure that she was ready to claim yet.  Pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose, she gave him a crooked smile and asked him to make her dinner. As they ate, Janeway admitted to herself that she was beginning to recognize the indelible mark that he’d made on her, not just her mind and soul, but on her heart.  Nonetheless, if she stayed at this size, there would never be a chance for a future for them, even if they both did want it.  She could feel her resolve double in that moment.  There had to be a way to change her back to normal. For both their sakes.


	5. Day Five

_“Captain, whatever you do, you have to be out of that panel before the pulse hits.”_

_“Pulse approaching. Contact in five...” The computer’s voice rang out._

_“You’ll be crushed instantly!”_

_“...four...”_

_“Captain, please respond!”_

_“...three....”_

_“Captain!”_

_“...two...”_

_“Get out NOW.”_

_“...one...”_

_“KATHRYN!”_

 

3 HOURS EARLIER

 

When you’re four inches tall, tasks that you could accomplish in no time at all at your full size now take aggravatingly long.  Refilling your coffee cup is impossible without help.  Department reports seem to pile up for your authorization. So when your first officer offers to help you get caught up, and keep your caffeine in full supply, you accept.

Most of the reports are mundane; inventories of parts and provisions, complaints from various crew members about one thing or another, efficiency analysis of the plasma relays, to name a few. As Janeway read and signed off on these reports with her miniature thumbprint, she could almost feel herself drift into a hypnotic state. Read, Approve, Repeat.  The only interesting thing about the process was sitting in the pocket of her first officer’s jacket as he held the padds for them to read together. She could feel the warmth of his body, and could just make out the calming rhythm of his heartbeat. Perhaps that cozy place had contributed to her trance-like condition. 

She didn’t want to stop though. She had to keep working. If she and Chakotay could get through these dull - but required - reports, then they could assist the science and engineering teams on their quest to determine what had caused her to shrink as she beamed back on the ship at the conclusion of the trading conference she’d attended.

Chakotay grabbed a new padd and lifted it into their combined view.  As Janeway began to read, something about this report stood out to her. It was an engineering repair report that was filed on the day that she had shrunk.  In fact, it was filed only an hour later.

_“That? Carey made that repair. The electro-quantum resistance compensator needed to be realigned.”_

_“Then, when I beamed back on board five days ago, it was out of alignment?”_

_“Yes, I suppose it was.”_

She knew that an ill-aligned compensator wasn’t enough to cause her to shrink to 1/16th her normal size.  There was something else at work here.  The team had been pouring over sensor logs for ages trying to determine what the interference they detected had been caused by.  If she factored in the faulty compensator...

_“A thief.”_

_“How do you suppose, Captain?” Asked Tom. The senior staff had gathered around the conference table._

_“The interference that we picked up on sensors was a pulse, designed to weaken sensors just enough so that ships leaving the trading conference could be scanned without being observed, and the thieves could beam off any newly acquired valuables as they were being beamed on. If the goods never showed up on the ship, they couldn’t be added into inventory, and wouldn’t be missed until the ship was out of the system. Take into consideration our malfunctioning compensator, and you have a recipe for failed transport.”_

_“You could have been seriously injured, or worse!”  Neelix was clearly shaken._

_“Trust me, no one is more thankful than me that I didn’t get turned inside out.  Since we stayed in the system trying to figure this all out, we should be able to use the pulse, which the thieves seem to keep on, since it hadn’t been recognized before, to restore me to full size and bring down a crime ring in the process.”_

_“There’s just one problem. The electro-quantum resistance compensator can’t be broken again in the way we need it to be.  It can be fixed from the outside, but the damage always occurs deep in the control matrix.”_

_“We’ll have to keep the transport buffers open and active, too, since we won’t be able to predict when the pulse comes.”_

_“Well, I’m not willing to give up yet, and I know none of you are either.  B’Elanna, let’s take a field trip shall we?”_

Janeway landed “ _The Beatrice”_ in section E316, outside the access panel for the electro-quantum resistance compensator.  B’Elanna knelt and opened the panel and the women peered inside. With a quirk of her eyebrow, Janeway knew that she’d get the break she needed.

 

CURRENTLY

 

Chakotay raced through the corridors, a med kit tight in his grasp. He turned the corner into section E316 afraid of what he’d find. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

_“Chakotay, help me, will you?  I had to slide out feet first.”_

The elegant, graceful, and thankfully full-sized, Kathryn Janeway was sprawled out on the floor, her long auburn hair caught around the inner workings of the electro-quantum resistance compensator.

Looking into the control panel, it was clear that the miniature captain had exited the cramped space just in time.  Her hair, however, had not been so lucky. It was still inside when the pulse hit, causing it to transform back to its normal proportions and wind around several complicated components.  Having the miniature captain crawling into the panel to knock the compensator out of alignment and then wiggle back out before the pulse hit the open transport signal locked onto her, causing her to return to her normal size had been risky - very risky - but worth it. If she had still been in the panel when the pulse hit, the cramped quarters would not have been able to accommodate her full size and she’d have been crushed alive in the walls.

_“I hate to say it, but I’m not sure freeing you is an option without...”_

_“Don’t say it! I’ve always had long hair. I won’t be me if I cut it off.”_

Kneeling on the floor next to her, Chakotay lightly touched Janeway’s – _Kathryn’s_ – cheek.

_“There is no one else that you could ever be. And no one else that I would...”_

He wasn’t able to finish his thought, as the EMH and a security detail caught up with him.

_“She’s alright, but it does look like you’ll have to cut, Doc.”_

_“Fine, but let’s not let this be a trend. I’m a doctor, not a barber.”_

As Chakotay move to stand and give the doctor access to Kathryn’s hair, there was a tug on his sleeve. Turning back to her, he knew that she only had one question on her mind.

_“We got the gang. The authorities are taking them into custody as we speak.”_

She flashed him a beaming and relieved smile.  One that he was more than happy to return.

 

Hours later, Kathryn was back in her own quarters for the first time in nearly a week. As she exited her bathroom, her newly short hair still dripping wet from her long and luxurious bath, her door chimed. The computer informed her that it was Chakotay, and she gladly let him in.

In his hands was a box containing the trappings of the time they’d spent together as recent roommates; her tiny mug and bathtub, the doll clothes and bed borrowed from Naomi Wildman, and _The Beatrice_. 

_“I’m sure you want to be alone, Captain, after being forced together for so long. I just thought you’d want to return Naomi’s items yourself.”_

_“Yes, of course. Thank you.  And I’m sure you’re ready for some peace and quiet without me underfoot.”_

_“Back to normal, I suppose.”  Chakotay turned back towards the door._

_“Yes, indeed.  But...”  It was now or never._

_“Captain?”_

_“I’m...I’m not so sure I like ‘normal’ anymore.”  Seeing the confused look on his face, she crossed to him and continued. “There was a part of me that liked it. That liked being so small. It was fun. I’ve had more fun in the last few days than in the last few years. I flew around like a madwoman. I pulled pranks. I danced. I haven’t danced with anyone in years.  And you...” Kathryn looks into Chakotay’s eyes and places her hands on his arms. “_ You _danced with_ me _.  You see me. You always have. No matter if I’m four inches or 64 inches tall. Chakotay, I want to keep dancing. With you.  I’m sorry I shut you out for so long, but I’m ready now. I’m ready to be Kathryn again, because of you.”_

For what felt like far too long, he didn’t move, and he didn’t speak. She readied herself for the worst. Clearly she’d misread the situation and misremembered his affections. As her pulse quickened with embarrassed anticipation, she started to back away. But two steps weren’t taken before he reached out and took her hand in his.

_“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to disappoint you.”_

Oh damn. Why did she open her mouth?

_“It’s just that, Kathryn, I can’t dance.”_

Her confusion dissipated into elation as he pulled her into his arms.

_“But I have a feeling, that you’re an excellent teacher.”_

She didn’t get a chance to respond as the tips of his fingers tilted her chin up, and he brought his lips down to hers. Her arms wound over his shoulders and to the nape of his neck, feeling his soft hair between her fingers. As their lips parted, ending what would surely be the first kiss of millions, Chakotay took a moment to admire the woman before him, and brush the stray strands of her damp and shortened hair behind her ear. In that moment, Kathryn truly knew that no matter the length of her hair, or how tall she was, she would always be her, and that she would always love him.


End file.
